Home > Topics > Putting Intellectual Property to Work: Experiences from Around the World > The New American University and the Role of “Technology Translation”: The Approach of Arizona State University > Editor's Summary, Implications and Best Practices

This chapter explains how Arizona State University’s (ASU) technology “translation” and commercialization efforts support its mission to expand knowledge and benefit society. The chapter’s case study of Arizona Technology Enterprises, LLC (AzTE) offers a model of a successful technology transfer program that has provided significant returns for ASU and the local community. Responsible for evaluating, protecting, and commercializing ASU’s technology portfolio, AzTE’s concepts and strategies for commercializing technology can be implemented by public and private institutions in both developed and developing countries.

In pursuit of the University President’s vision of a “New American University,” ASU has abandoned the term “technology transfer” in favor of “technology translation.” This more appropriately captures the university’s role, which is not simply “innovating and transferring” but, more importantly, framing innovations within the context of social and economic relevance. Such an approach requires a constant focus on the power and benefits of partnerships.

As a New American University, ASU has been structured on fundamental design imperatives. The spirit of these design imperatives are embodied throughout ASU’s programs and strategic plans:

1. Leveraging place: addressing the challenges of the region
2. Societal transformation: transcending physical location to affect society locally and globally
3. Knowledge entrepreneur: embodying culture of academic enterprise, breaking from tradition and organizational constraints
4. Use-inspired research: seeking research opportunities that meet community needs and enhance quality of life
5. Focus on individual: looking beyond the academic background of incoming students to seek greater diversity in the student body
6. Intellectual fusion: adopting a research agenda that is solution-focused rather than discipline-focused
7. Societal embeddedness: building an interactive and mutually supportive partnership with the community
8. Global engagement: establish programs and practices with global application through the development of innovative approaches to universal societal problems

The schema for the technology translation process and structures, discussed in this chapter, begins with the design of process elements that position AzTE between the market and the university. Indeed, it is this space where the work of translation can occur:

1. Identify technology platforms
2. Cluster intellectual property (patents and know-how)
3. Analyze markets and partners
4. Negotiate deals
5. Drive technology translation

ASU established AzTE to make the most of its rapidly changing partnership opportunities. Universities typically move at a slower, more bureaucratic pace than businesses, but AzTE’s autonomy allows it to be flexible, keep hurdles for business low, and focus on “speed to market.” Operating with the speed and efficiency of a market-based commercial enterprise, AzTE translates the value of ASU’s technology into a language and set of practices that the business community understands.

In addition, AzTE translates the value of ASU’s technology to the University itself. It constantly evaluates not only ASU’s technologies but also those developed by other institutions in order to bolster the quality and value of the University’s technology portfolio. AzTE also offers students significant opportunities to gain practical experience in technology-based transactions. These programs not only offer enrich the education of ASU’s students but also provide highly skilled assistance to the University’s technology commercialization efforts.

Regardless of the size of the deal size or its structure, everything that AzTE does is governed by three guiding principles: “Speed, Simplicity, and Certainty.” Thanks to its focus on these guidelines, during the three years of AzTE’s existence it has started 13 companies, entered into over 80 commercialization transactions, and generated over $8 million in revenue.

From a research institution’s perspective, an effective technology translation process not only generates significant revenue for research, but also develops an entrepreneurial culture among university researchers and private researchers. For the international community, technology translation can be an important catalyst for economic development and significant source of partnerships with the business community.

The New American University’s principles of social partnering can be adapted for use by other public and private institutions and can yield significant returns for those institutions in developing regions throughout the world, and, most importantly, benefit those people in those regions. Hence, the authors conclude that public and private institutions in both developed and developing countries can implement the concepts and strategies for technology commercialization described in this chapter.

Key Implications and Best Practices

Given that IP management is heavily context specific, these Key Implications and Best Practices are intended as starting points to be adapted to specific needs and circumstances.

For Government Policy-makers

• While universities and research institutions necessarily respond to legislation, agency regulations, and conditions attached to research funding to manage intellectual property for the sake of enhancing economic growth and social welfare, the importance of leadership from individual institutional leaders—particularly presidents or chief executives—cannot be overestimated. Just as an excellent visionary CEO can transform an ailing company, so can an excellent visionary university president transform a state institution.
• Effective technology translation will be possible only when policy and law support and foster its establishment and growth. In the U.S., this has been the (remarkably successful) role of the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980. Consider elements of such legislation as a way to advance the technology translation process.
• AzTE’s success is in part due to its model of technology translation. There are many models that have been successful and that have failed. Whether or not a given model succeeds depends on a range of factors. One of the primary factors at ASU is due to the very strong support from the President of the Unviersity.

For Senior Management (university president, R&D manager, etc)

• Arizona State University is an excellent example of how technology commercialization can and should be an integral part of the overarching mission of the university as envisioned, articulated, and put into practice by the university’s top leadership.
• Encourage and support a culture of knowledge entrepreneurship programs and policies that include scientists and students. Indeed, all have as stake, and all can contribute.
• A sufficient degree of autonomy and discipline are needed by a university’s technology transfer enterprise to focus on the needs of the business community and engage it with the kind of speed, flexibility, and simplicity that is necessary to make the university a reliable commercial partner.
• Students can be drawn upon in a number of ways to increase the value and efficacy of technology commercialization operations. Students can be routinely employed in the office that handles commercialization. For example, a technology evaluation clinic can engage teams of students in law, business, engineering, and science to evaluate technologies coming out of the university, research markets, and/or write business plans in exchange for educational credit.
• Most regions lack a sufficient entrepreneurial base to take full advantage of developing local commercialization possibilities and need to attract in the missing financial and human capital. One way an institution can help develop a regional entrepreneurial base is to offer joint research appointments at an institution to scientists (or managers if there is a business school) who are recruited to staff new spinout companies in the region.

For Scientists

• The role of research within the university can be transformed in exciting and rewarding ways by intentionally adopting a solution-focused research agenda that seeks to meet community needs, enhance quality of life, and improve social welfare globally. As a scientist, your role is critical to the process.
• Work closely with your technology translation office to learn the process of evaluating inventions, how to appreciate market needs and expectations, and to understand the principles and strategies of commercialization.

For Technology Transfer Officers

• A technology transfer office can play an important role in the mission of the university by implementing strategies to leverage control over how technologies are developed and deployed globally, including the use of carve out rights, field of use licensing, contractual obligations on commercial partners, or IP partnerships with non-profit development partners.
• An essential distinction that sets apart university IP managers from their industry counterparts is the mission of social impact, which does not always equal maximum profits. Your institution will gain in global stature (and future research funding) by providing a technology to the international community that succeeds in alleviating hunger and disease.
• Consider including student interns in your offices operations.
• Provide faculty with opportunities, such as mini-sabbaticals, for working in your office.